Lithuanian environment minister refuses to resign amid transparency questions

Lithuania’s Environment Minister Kastytis Žuromskas has rejected calls to step down, stating he “has nothing to hide” after a communications specialist raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest within his ministry, LRT reports.

Žuromskas addressed the allegations in parliament on Thursday, confirming he would respond in writing and appear before an emergency meeting of the Environmental Protection Committee on Friday. “I do not promise to resign. I have nothing to hide, and I will comment in detail—both in writing and during tomorrow’s committee session,” he said.

The questions were publicly posed by Karolis Žukauskas, who published a list of 10 inquiries on Facebook targeting Žuromskas and his ministry. Key issues include:
– Whether the minister’s advisor, Skirmantas Pocius, was appointed at the recommendation of Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the ruling Nemuno Aušra faction, or Jonos Pirožniko, head of Palanga’s rescue services—both described as Žuromskas’s hunting partners.
– Allegations that another hunting associate of Pocius, Tomas Barkauskas, is a frontrunner in an ongoing competition to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with suspected negotiations involving Žemaitaitis and current EPA director Mantė Ramanauskienė.
– Claims that Žuromskas purchased a home in the Pašilės Namai development—linked to Nemuno Aušra deputy Roberto Puchovičius—at a price significantly below market value and remains indebted for it.
– Questions about potential influence over the State Forest Service by interested parties and the legality of riverbed alterations on land owned by the father of Tomas Domarkas, a fellow Nemuno Aušra member.

Žukauskas also highlighted a seaside property allegedly built by a company tied to Eugenijus Gvalda, described as an associate of Žemaitaitis, on land where satellite images reportedly show forest was cleared.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s leadership competition is its second in six months, following the resignation of its previous director last August. The ministry is controlled by Nemuno Aušra under Lithuania’s coalition agreement.